On the Wings of Despair
by Wtiger5
Summary: As Boromir lies dying, someone unexpected is grieving his loss. Tied for third in Teitho contest: Heartbreak. Oneshot.  I don't own Lord of the Rings


_A/N: This is the first time that I have attempted to write in first person. It's also one of the few times that I have ever written a personification. I hope you all like this little deviation from my normal writing style._

The winds whistle around me whispering tidings of woe. I strain to hear the notes of the horn carried on the air. The horn, that legend states will carry unimpeded throughout the land, rings with a sense of urgency.

"Come to me. I am in need." Its call echoes in my soul. I sense its desperation and long to answer.

"Protect my champion!" I beg of the land. "Do not let him fall." Yet even as I plead, I know. My favored son will not return to me. He will never stand tall in the morning's light looking over my city. I can feel the warmth of his life blood seeping into my earth. He is in pain and despair.

For a moment I pause. Is there still hope? There is another at his side, one who has an aura of hope and peace. Can this one bring him back to me? He kneels beside my champion and I see his power revealed. He is one long hoped for, yet not expected. His hands gently brush my captain's face, grief etched upon his features.

"My brother, my captain, my king." Boromir's dying words drift across the miles and my heart breaks. The healing hands of the king cannot save him. I will never again know the tread of his foot upon my stair, nor the ripple of his cloak in the winds around my heights. His father and brother will grieve, but not like I do. The people will long for him, but not like I will.

I have watched him grow from a small sturdy child to the powerful warrior he has become. He learned his letters and numbers in my chambers. His first steps were in my gardens. My halls rang with his childhood laughter and wept with his tears. Ever he has been a fixture of this citadel. He and his brother raced along my passageways, chasing each other through my rooms. Their joyful shouts echoed in my courtyards. How akin they are in looks and yet they are so very different in disposition. Boromir always the more brash and forceful, tempered by his brother, the scholar. What a pair they made. I ache to turn back Arda to happier moments. But I cannot. He marched forth with such determination, but he will not return. His company will ride out once more but their Captain-general will not be at their head.

The land is silent now. It waits and watches as his body is committed to the great river. I strain to follow the boat as it sails over the falls. The lamentations of Aragorn and Legolas rise above the trees and through their song they set my champion's spirit free.

Three days later, with my grief still raw, I realize I must tell his brother. Faramir will also be heartbroken at the loss of his best friend, his protector, his teacher. I implore the Valar to visit him with a vision or a dream to bring him news of his brother's doom. As the watches pass, I observe as Faramir steadfastly carries out his duty from Osgiliath. Suddenly at the midnight hour, he stands and wades into the flowing waters of Anduin. His grey eyes stare at nothing for several long moments. Finally with a jerk, he rouses and returns to himself. I smile sadly to myself for he now knows. Soon the horn is found and my halls ring with his father's grief. The Lord of the city hides himself within my secret rooms, seeking to bury his pain. I cannot help him for he will not find comfort within my walls.

Suddenly I realize that there is a light tread upon my stair. Faramir comes to the ledge on which his brother was accustomed to standing and he greets the dawn, his tears glittering on his cheeks. His soul like mine is heavy. Together we grieve and together we will heal for I also remember the solemn promise given to Boromir as he left this world.  
"I will not allow the white tower to fall." Aragorn swears to him. In the midst of my pain, I begin to feel the stirrings of hope. Perhaps our people's future is indeed secure.


End file.
